


The New Kid (Is Kinda Evil)

by IslandGirl24324



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Miraculous Ladybug Fusion, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Miraculous Ladybug, Multi, Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:09:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28909107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IslandGirl24324/pseuds/IslandGirl24324
Summary: What happens when a new boy steps into Françoise Dupont with eyes only for Marinette? Lots of Marichat/Adrinette/Ladynoir coming up!Disclaimer- I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, all of these characters are inspired by the Zagtoon cartoon and Thomas Astruc!
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alix Kubdel/Lê Chiến Kim, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois/Sabrina Raincomprix, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant
Comments: 14
Kudos: 30





	1. The New Kid

Nobody's POV  
\-------------------------------------------------  
Marinette sighed, closing her notebook because she had finished her homework. She was in the cafeteria with Alya, her best friend, and they had decided to use their lunch hour catching up on late work. Nino and Adrien had gone out to lunch, because all of their work was done, and to the girls’ disappointment, the guys hadn’t hung around. The school bell rang, signaling that it was time for class.

“Did you finish your homework, Mari?” Alya questioned

“Yeah, I did. How about you?”

“Same. Lets go to class?”

“Yeah, lets go.”  
The two girls hurried off to class, where Nino and Adrien were already waiting.

“Took you two long enough,” Nino teased, “I thought we were going to have to go to class without you guys.”

“Hey, the bell only just rang! Technically the final bell hasn’t gone off yet,” Marinette retorted. As if it was mocking her, the final bell rang loudly through the halls of Françoise Dupont

“Come on guys, let's go,” a voice said from across from Marinette. Adrien’s voice was like silk to her, and she instantly felt her cheeks glow red.  
“Uh, ye-eah. Go we should probably, err should probably we go- I mean- we should go. Probably”

Marinette swore she felt Tikki laughing in her purse, and cringed as she saw Alya laughing too.

“Girl, you are so hopeless. Let’s get inside before we’re marked absent though.”

The four friends walked into Mme. Bustier’s classroom, and were surprised to see that the teacher hadn’t arrived yet. The four took their seats, and the door swung open again, and in walked Mme. Bustier, trailed by a boy with brown hair, green eyes, and a small frown on his face. “Hello Class,” Mme. Bustier started, “Today, we have a new student joining us. His name is Ray Dubois. Please make him feel welcome!”

The class all murmured their hellos, and Mme. Bustier had a surprise for everyone “OK class, before we begin, I’d like to make some new seating arrangements. Lets see… Alya and Juleka, Nino and Rose, Alix and Kim, Chloe and Max, Sabrina and Ivan, Adrien and Nathaniel, Mylene and Lila, and that leaves… Marinette and Ray! Please find your new seats!”

Marinette gave a sad look to Alya, before making her way to where Sabrina and Chloe used to sit. Ray quickly joined her, and made Marinette uncomfortable with how close he was to her. 

She heard Nathaniel mutter, “No fair” from behind her, and quickly spun to see Adrien and Nathaniel looking at her. Both boys looked away, and Marinette turned back around and pulled out her notebook. 

“Hey, you’re Marinette right?” She heard Ray question from beside her

“Ummm, yeah. Ray, right?”  
Ray quickly confirmed that was his name, and then quickly made the conversation awkward.

“You know, you’re really pretty.”

Ice seemed to make its way up Marinette’s spine as she turned to face the boy who was slowly sliding over to her side of the bench. She swore she heard someone choke behind her, but she didn’t turn around. 

“Oh- um- thank you, I guess.”  
She proceeded to notice the arm snaking over her shoulder, and quickly brushed it off. 

“Ray, I’m sorry, but I really like having personal space.”

With that, she turned to face Mme. Bustier, her back rigid for the rest of class, her legs out in the aisle as if she would bolt the second the bell rang. She fought off multiple of his advances for the majority of class, and when the bell did ring, she ran to Alya and the two basically ran out of the classroom. 

Once the two girls arrived in the courtyard, Alya started talking.  
“Marinette,” Alya said with a worried tone in her voice, “what was all that about?”

“I honestly don’t know, Alya. I’m going to talk to Mme. Bustier about it tomorrow before class to see if I can switch my seat, though.”

Alya thought for a second, and hummed in agreement. Adrien and Nino had somehow sniffed them out, and joined them in the middle of the school courtyard. They had an off period after Mme. Bustier’s class, so they decided to hang around in the courtyard. Marinette’s stomach suddenly rumbled, and she stood up, saying, “Hey guys, I’m gonna go grab something from the cafeteria. Do you want anything?”

After three no's, she walked off to the cafeteria. She quickly entered the food line and picked up a cookie, deciding that even though the cinnamon rolls looked delicious, she really only wanted the sweet taste of chocolate chips on her tongue. Marinette paid for the cookie, and started walking back to the courtyard, taking little pieces off of her cookie. As she was about to step back into the courtyard, a voice that she hadn’t wanted to hear for the rest of the day started talking to her.

“Marinette!” Ray shouted from underneath the stairs. Marinette’s shoulders sank, as she spun around to talk to the new boy.

“Ray… what’s up?” She questioned, putting on the friendliest tone she could muster, which wasn’t very friendly, because she spoke through gritted teeth.

"I was wondering if you were busy this afternoon. After school, I mean."

"Sorry, I don't think so. I'm going to help in the bakery later, so I really can't hang out today." She stated simply, hoping he would get the point. She started to walk away, but stopped again when he started talking again.

"What about tomorrow then? I'm open all week!"

"Sorry Ray, I'm really busy, besides, I hardly know you." 

"Well, my favorite color is blue, I hate Hawkmoth, I really like cookies, and I want to be a doctor when I grow up. There, now you know me."

"Again, Ray, I'm really busy. I should probably be getting back to my friends now." She glanced over to where her friends were standing, and resumed walking away. A hand grabbed her wrist causing her to drop her cookie, and she tried wrenching her hand away, but the grip firmed.

"Let go of me!" she snarled, still trying to break free of Ray's death grasp.

"I don't think Nino or Alya like you that much, and it's pretty obvious you have a crush on Adrien. And it's also pretty obvious that he doesn't like you back. Why not go with someone in your league. Someone like... me?"

Marinette's face boiled at his last sentence, and she whirled around, causing her wrist to bend in an odd direction, and she heard a crack but the pain barely registered in her head as she said, "You are a creep. I'd rather have a crush who doesn't notice me than a guy I barely know forcing me to go on a date with him. And Alya and Nino are my best friends, they care just as deeply about me as I do about them. Now let me go."

Ray just smirked, and Marinette looked down at her trapped wrist, deciding to used some of her Ladybug skills to help her escape from this situation. She balled her free hand into a fist and punched him in the nose, causing it to bleed. When he still didn't let go of her wrist, she went to the last resort. She brought her knee up between his legs, and put as much force behind the move as possible. His grip finally loosened, and she took off across the courtyard

She heard Ray call out from behind her "You haven't seen the last of me!" and she shuddered, not wanting to deal with that creep ever again. 

She looked down at her wrist, which was now red from where he had been holding it, and she noticed it was slightly swollen and hurt to touch. She also had blood on the palms of her hand from when she made his nose bleed. 

She rejoined her friends at last, and Alya noticed there was something wrong right away. Marinette had tears brimming in her eyes, and was holding her right wrist in her left hand, rubbing it. She was also bright red, and looked angry.

"Mari, what happened?" Alya asked

Adrien saw the first tear spill from Marinette's eye, and then the floodgates opened. He quickly pulled her into an embrace, and she moved her hands around his shoulders and then flinched back in pain. It was then when Alya saw the blood on Marinette's hands, and quickly ushered her away to the bathroom, Adrien and Nino on their heels. 

On the way to the bathroom, Marinette re-accounted what had happened to her to the group. Adrien could feel himself getting angry, and decided that he would have a personal talk with Ray later.

Adrien and Nino waited outside of the bathroom, to see if either of the girls would come out before their free hour ended. Alya slipped away from Marinette and out into the hallway, and told the boys that she was going to take Marinette home for the day, and asked them to ask Mme. Bustier to switch around seats again so Marinette didn't have to sit next to the creep. Alya rushed back into the bathroom, and came out with a frustrated looking Marinette. Before leaving for the day, Marinette said:  
"Thank you all for sticking by me today. It's been really nice to know that I'm supported by all three of you."

Adrien smiled, and Nino pulled Marinette in for a hug, which was made bigger by Alya and Adrien. 

Alya and Marinette started the walk home to Marinette's bakery, and the school bell rang, signaling for the boys to get to class.

Marinette's POV  
\---------------------------------------  
I was so grateful that everyone stuck around after the run in with Ray. After Alya helped me get home, my mom asked me what had happened. I gave her a few half truths to hopefully throw her off my trail, but with no luck. She hammered it out of me in no time, and then decided to take me to the doctors office.

"Marinette, I cannot believe this boy did this to you. Would you like me to contact the school and see if they can take any action?"

"I think I'm ok, Maman. He was a little creepy but I'm sure his emotions just got in front of him." I cringed, knowing that this was not the case at all. "I'll definitely be sure to avoid him from now on, though." I shuddered at the mere thought of having to sit next to Ray, but when we pulled into the lot of the hospital, I put on my "brave face" as my dad called it, and marched into the hospital. 

Scene Change  
(In the doctors office/after being examined)  
\----------------------------------------  
"Well, Marinette, it appears that you have fractured your wrist. Unfortunately, that means that you will not be able to put any kind of stress on it for the next two months, to let it fully heal."

I cried out in shock. "Two Months? I fall all of the time! What happens if I fall and, I don't know, get up using my bad wrist? AND I KIND OF NEED THIS HAND TO WRITE AND DRAW WITH!"

My mom tried to calm me down, saying "Marinette, its not that bad. They'll put you in a cast for a few months and you'll be fine. I'm sure your friends can help you recover from any accidental 'spills' you take, and I can help you write at home. Don't worry, it will be over before you know it."

I tried not to let my mom see my sarcasm as I said "Ok, yeah, sure!"

Scene Change  
(Marinette's room/She now has a cast)  
\-----------------------------------------  
I slump down in my desk chair, feeling oddly unpleasant. I feel the first tear carve its way down my face, "What am I supposed to DO, Tikki? I can't use my yo-yo like this. I can't write like this. I'm hardly Marinette OR Ladybug like this!" I wailed, tears now falling freely from my cheeks

"It's alright, Marinette. I'm sure Chat Noir will be ok, and he can always put the Akumas in his bell for you to purify later. In the meantime, I'm sure Alya, or ADRIEN for that matter, would love to help you take notes. Just- try not to fall from now on, ok?"

I let out a little laugh. "Me? Falling? Tikki, how could you suggest such a thing?"

"See, you're joking already! Lets get you into bed. It looks like its going to be a long day tomorrow."

"Sounds good, Tikki. I hope Adrien and Nino got the whole Ray thing situated. I really don't want to sit next to him tomorrow. Or ever again. I'd be perfectly fine if I never had to see his face again."

At that moment, I glance down at my phone, realizing it was almost midnight and that I should have been in bed ages ago. 

"TIKKI, its nearly midnight! I don't have any of my homework done yet!" I reached for my backpack, which was lying on my chaise.

"Ouch," I say, because my wrist hurts from extending my arm.

"Marinette, I'm sure you'll be excused from your homework. And you need to take your pain medication for your arm."

I try to protest taking the medicine, insisting that I'm fine, but Tikki see's straight through me and hands me a cup of water and a tablet. After she makes sure I have taken the medicine, she guides me up to bed, trying her best to support my right side because I am climbing up the ladder to my bed with only my left hand to keep me balanced. After I clamber into bed, I say a tired "G'nigh Tikki" and from her bed on my desk I hear "Night, Marinette."

The next day  
\---------------------------------  
"Marinette, wake up! You're going to be late for school. AGAIN!!!!"

I don't open my eyes to Tikki's voice until I feel the sheets being lifted off of my skin. I groan, and try to prop myself up, but quickly realize that my hand is indeed in a cast and that I probably shouldn't be putting pressure on it. 

"Morning Tikki." I say, yawning into my hand, "What time is it?"

"It's 7:50, Marinette."

"TIKKI I'M GOING TO BE LATE! AGAIN!"

"That's what I keep trying to tell you!" she says, trying not to show her laughter

I rush down the ladder, and pull on my normal outfit, quickly securing my hair into their staple pigtails, and rushing out the door, backpack hastily swung onto my back and a croissant sticking out of my mouth.

I reach the school with two minutes until the final bell, and rush to Mme. Bustier's classroom. I walk into the room, and almost choke on what's left of my croissant. Ray and Lila are sitting together, and the class (save Nino, Alya, and Adrien) are all looking at me like I'm some kind of villain.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila has started to work with Ray to get revenge on Marinette, whilst Adrien, Alya, and Nino are trying to help a hurt Marinette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING- Please please PLEASE don't read the text messages if you are not comfortable with bullying/mentions of suicide/harassment. I will also put an authors note to skip when it gets to that point. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
> Disclaimer- Unfortunatly, I don't own Miraculous Ladybug. Yet. Until I do, these characters belong to zagtoon and Thomas Astruc

Adrien’s POV  
\-------------------------------------  
As I walked into the classroom this morning, I saw Ray sitting at a new desk in the back of the classroom. I smile to myself as I realize that Mme. Bustier must have listened to me. I took my seat next to Nathaniel, who was surprisingly early, and I looked around the classroom.

Everyone was already in the room, except for Marinette, Juleka, and Lila. At that moment, Lila walked in, followed by Juleka, who was trailing her like a lost puppy. I scoffed at the sight, and turned my eyes to watch Lila. She headed towards her new seat, and sat by Ray. Almost as instantly as Lila sat down Ray told her about yesterday’s incident with Marinette, and I could practically see the gears turning in Lila’s head. After a couple of seconds of listening to Ray's story, Lila gasped. "What do you mean? Marinette tried to force you to go on a date with her?"

Ray smiled and played along with Lila's new spin of lies, "Yeah, it was pretty horrible. I didn't think she liked me, and when I told her that I didn't want to go out with her, she punched me in the nose" He cried out, pointing to the tape on his nose.

Most of the girls in the class gasped, and only Alya, Nino, and myself (and possibly Nathaniel) seemed to have doubt lingering in our eyes. We all knew that Marinette had gotten into a fight with him yesterday, which he had caused. Hell, the only thing she did was punch him in the nose, but only for self defense. I sighed, and looked at Nino, and subsequently to Alya. We all shared a look of disbelief, and a knowing nod that practically said, “We will talk after class”. 

(A.N. Alya and Nino are starting to believe Lila less and less, but they still kind of trust Lila so far).

Chloé whipped around to look at me, saying "Guess Mari-trash finally got a clue and moved on from you, Adrikins!"

I speak without thinking, saying "Her name is MariNETTE, Chloé. You should at least try to get it right, because at least she has tried to be nice to you! You could care less about anyone in this class, and the only reason you're popular is because you threaten people with your dad's power."

Chloé scoffed, and the class all looked at me like I had a second head sprouting out of my neck. I tried to calm down a little bit, but Lila started talking again. "Chloé's right, you know. I thought that Marinette would never stop pining for you, Adrien. Honestly, it was getting kind of sickening. Oh well, not that it matters now that she had to go and punch poor Ray in the face. I think she has anger issues, and that's probably why she doesn't like me, because she lets her jealousy of me go to her head."

I take deep calming breaths, and I hear a snort come from the other side of the classroom, where Alya is sitting. Before I have a chance to make a snide comment back to Lila, however, the door to the classroom bursts open and Marinette walks in, a croissant in her mouth. Her right arm is wrapped in a cast that goes halfway up her forearm, and I feel a pang of guilt rip through my stomach. I see all of the nasty looks everyone is giving Marinette, and I instantly want to pull her into a hug. I resolved that I would visit her later as a certain Chat Noir, just to check up on her.  
(A.N Because Ray and Lila are now sitting together, Marinette and Mylene are sitting together too.)

After seeing Marinette's shock dissipate and replaced with a small frown, she walks towards her seat and slowly slides in next to Mylene, and Mylene squirms as far away from Marinette as she can manage. I hear a sigh come from in front of me, and Marinette leans down onto her desk, her head resting on her left arm. Her right hand is resting on the bench next to her. I instantly feel bad, and I absent-mindedly ask myself “What could I have done.”. I am a hero after all. I could have helped her, but I was too busy talking to Alya and Nino about whatever we were talking about yesterday. Another jolt of guilt courses through my system, and all I want to do is get out of the sullen classroom.

Marinette seems very spaced out for the entirety of Mme. Bustier’s lecture, her head resting on the desk for almost the entire period. The few times she turns around to look at me, Nino, or Alya, she has tears in her eyes. Usually, her eyes were bright blue, reminiscent of clear blue skies or the water of an ocean, but today they appeared dim, almost icy. It doesn't seem to help that Mylene still isn't sitting properly on their bench, and I still hear sighs coming from Marinette’s seat.

As the bell rings, Marinette grabs her bag and hurries out of the classroom, seeming almost desperate to get out of the suffocating disappointment of her  
classmates, even though she had done nothing wrong.

Marinette runs down the stairs of Françoise Dupont with the grace of a gazelle, and dashes into the locker rooms. As the door shuts behind her, I see Alya rip it open again, only vaguely registering that Alya must have followed her quite quickly. I hurry down the stairs as well, only a minute behind the girls.  
As I hear the door click shut behind me, I cast a quick glance around the room, disappointed when I don’t see the girls. All of a sudden I hear a startled Alya gasp "MARI, YOU CAN FIGHT HIM." coming from the girls restroom. 

I whip around, and Alya is pulling Marinette out of the bathroom by her uninjured wrist, and I am angry when I see the Butterfly outline covering Marinette's face. I hear Marinette start talking, saying, "Hawkmoth, I will NEVER concede to you. I don't want to hurt any of my classmates. Please let me go now. I don’t want to help you. I will never help you."

Marinette seems to be repeating the same mantra over and over again, as if she was also trying to convince herself that she didn’t want to be put under Hawkmoth’s control. She took deep breaths, and she started talking again, a new look of determination smearing across her face.

"Hawkmoth, why don't you take your akuma and give it to someone who stubbed their freaking toe or something, since all the recent akuma’s have been lame anyways. I don't want to be freaking Princess Justice anyways! Everything will be fine!"

After a few more seconds, of which I’m sure Hawkmoth is doing anything in his power to get her to join him, the Akuma de-attaches itself from Marinette’s cast, and she crumples into Alya’s waiting arms, sobs racking through her. 

‘Wow’ I thought to myself. No one had ever been able to say no to Hawkmoth like that before, at least that I was aware of. Marinette brings her head up, and looks at Alya, and then turns to look at me, tears blurring her beautiful eyes.

'Woah... beautiful?' I think to myself. I am left to wonder where that last thought came from, and Marinette walks towards me and quietly wraps her arms around me, her hard cast pressed against my back, and I realize that, despite the cast, the embrace feels familiar, although I cannot quite place where it feels familiar from.

"Are you ok, Mari?" I ask. She looks up at me with her dazzling sapphire eyes, which are now almost entirely clear of any trace of tears, and nods her head slightly. I hear Alya muttering something under her breath, but I decide not to ask. Marinette is obviously still reeling over her almost Akumitization. At that moment, the warning bell rings, and Marinette groans, probably not wanting to have to deal with all of our classmates again.

“Come on Mari, lets go.” Alya says gently, pulling on Marinette’s good arm again. “We don’t want to be late for Mme. Mendeleiev’s class, she’s nowhere near as forgiving as Mme. Bustier is.” 

At this, Marinette follows Alya, whispering back and forth to each other, and I decide to give them some privacy and secretly talk to Plagg.  
“ADRIENNNNN, I NEED CHEESEEEEEE!” Plagg groans loudly. I put a finger up to my mouth to quiet him, and pass him a piece of camembert so that he will hopefully be quieter for the remainder of the day.

“Plagg, you need to be quieter! Someone could have heard you!”

“But no one did! I’ll be fine, I’ve been on this planet for way longer than you have and I have yet to be discoverd.”

I roll my eyes at the tiny Kwami, and continue walking to class, passing through the door just as the bell rings. Because Mme. Mendeleiev didn’t switch the seating charts around, I take my spot next to Nino, and Marinette and Alya sit next to each other behind me. I can still hear the muttering behind me, and I wonder what could be so important to talk about that it couldn’t wait until the end of class.

Mme. Mendeleiev’s lecture drones on, like they usually do, but today I find it welcoming because it gives me the opportunity to think about what had happened to Marinette. She was the sweetest girl in the class, and the best friend that I could ever ask for. (A.N. Yes, I’m rolling my eyes right now too). 

I would feel so guilty if Marinette ever got akumatized, especially if it was because of one of Lila’s stupid antics. Speaking of Lila, I turn around and see her and Ray talking up a storm in the back of the classroom. Frowning, I turn back to the front of the class. Mme. Mendeleiev suddenly stops her lecture and says, “If you guys aren’t going to pay attention, you all can go to Mr. Damoclse’s office.”

I hear a buzzing coming from directly behind me, and the buzzing continues every few seconds. 

I turn around yet again, and Ray and Lila are talking still, and their conversation seems to be drawing a lot of the classes interest. I can only guess what, or rather who, the topic of interest is about. I look behind me, and Marinette is staring at the space above Mme. Mendeleiev’s head, no doubt she had heard all of the nasty rumors that Lila and Ray were spreading. Her phone buzzed again, and she glanced down at her lap and read the text. She slammed her phone down on her desk, and Alya turned and gave Marinette a questionable look. 

Mme. Mendeleiev cleared her throat, and said, “Perhaps I wasn’t clear the first time. If any of you continue conversing for the rest of my class, you WILL get detention.”

That seemed to shut up Lila and Ray pretty quickly, and Mme. Mendeleiev resumed her lesson. I gave one more quick glance to Marinette, who’s eyes were now glazed over with tears threatening to spill. I feel the frown that is already on my face deepen, and I spin back around to face the front of the classroom. 

Marinette POV  
\---------------------------

I heard people scoff at me as I started to head towards my new seat next to Mylene. It wasn't like I cared what kind of new lies Lila spun about me. I had already fallen so far into her "trap" that it seemed almost impossible for me to get out of now. I notice that Mylene has slid all the way over to the far side of the bench, seeming repulsed to sit next to me. I sigh and put my head on my left arm, and set my right arm on the bench next to me, the most comfortable place to keep it at the moment.

I turn around to look at Adrien, Nino, and Alya, trying to give them each a puzzled glance, but either none of them are looking at me or they are pretending not to see me. I keep my head down for the remainder of class, and I have my hand on my bag for five minutes before class lets out, that way I can make my way out of the classroom. I can't stand to see the disappointment on my classmates faces, even though I didn't do anything to make them disappointed that I'm aware of. 

As soon as I hear the bell ring, I hurry out of the classroom, down the stairs and to the locker rooms. I hear the door slam shut and re-open behind me as I am pulling open the door to the women's bathroom. I turn around, and Alya is standing behind me. I can feel the hot tears in my eyes as I ask, "Alya, what happened? Why is everyone mad at me? Or disappointed? Did I do something?" My throat is tight, almost constricting from holding back the tears that were still threatening to come at any second. 

It only takes an instant, and I can see a black butterfly wafting through the window. It lands on my cast, and I can feel ice seeping through my body. I can see the faint outline of a moth on my face, and I can only barely hear Alya say "MARI, YOU CAN FIGHT HIM!" I also vaguely register that Alya is pulling on my arm, but I am trying to concentrate on Hawkmoth's voice.

"Hello Princess Justice. My name is Hawkmoth, and because the innocent aren't to be believed anymore, I'm giving you the power to expose the truth. All I need from you is the small token of Ladybug and Chat Noirs' Miraculous."

I grit my teeth, and say to the outline on my face, "Hawkmoth, I will NEVER concede to you. I don't want to hurt any of my classmates. Please let me go now. I don’t want to help you. I will never help you."

I keep repeating things along the line of "I won't help you."

"But what about getting even on that girl Lila, or Ray? Don't you want to make Alya see your side again?"

I get angry. Hawkmoth has no right to see inside of my head or to hear my thoughts, and I tell him to go find someone else to be akumatized because I sure as hell wouldn't be his pawn. I end that sentence saying, "I don't want to be freaking Princess Justice anyways! Everything will be fine!" He tries to convince me one more time, but I can feel his hold on me slipping, and soon the Akuma dislodges itself from my cast.

The tears that were threatening to spill over earlier finally do, and I collapse into Alya's arms while she rubs circles on my back. I can feel myself choking on my own words, so I decide to just keep quiet. After the tears finally subside, I look around the locker room, noticing that Adrien is in the room too. I quietly gasp, and Alya lets me go when I shrug my shoulders. With confidence I never knew I had, I silently walked over to Adrien and placed my arms around him. He asks me if I'm ok, and I give my confirmation. At that moment the warning bell rings, and Alya ushers me to Mme. Mendeleiev's classroom. 

We whisper scream to each other, each of us saying something along the lines of "I hugged him!!" "Oh my god girl where did that come from?!" We walk through the door to Mme. Mendeleiev's classroom as soon as the bell rings. Alya and I continue whispering and passing notes throughout the course of the class, and I try to ignore the one voice I have come to despise that is ringing throughout the classroom. I stop talking to Alya in order to listen to Lila, and when I hear some of the words coming out of her mouth, I can feel the tears resurface. Telling myself that I wouldn't give Lila the satisfaction of making me cry, at least not in front of her, I spin back around and pay extra attention to Mme. Mendeleiev. She stops her lecture, warning the Lila fan club at the back of the room that if they continued talking they would all get detention.

My phone buzzes a few times, and I decide not to look. As the buzzing persists, however, I decide to turn it onto silent mode, but when I flip it over and see the top notification, I feel my chest seize up and drop my phone onto my desk. The message was from Alix, and it said:

Alix: Not cool Mari. You should know better than forcing yourself onto someone like that. 

Without thinking about it, I pick up my phone again and decide to scroll through the hateful messages that my so called friends were starting to send me.

Kim: Really Marinette? You can't just punch someone in the face because they won't go out with you.

Rose: Marinette, if you need to talk to someone to get over your anger issues and jealousy, I'm always here to talk to.

(A.N. I would skip now if you're not comfortable with the trigger warning above)

Mylene: Truly disgusting, Marinette. Would you have liked it if someone tried to force YOU to go on a date? You'd feel pretty gross, wouldn't you? Now IMAGINE how Ray is feeling. I would back off if I were you Marinette.

Chloe: I see you've moved on from my Adrikins to the new kid. Hey, maybe now that you're a creep you could rid yourself from the world and do everyone a favor! No one would miss you anyways. You're designs are trash, and its not like any of your friends care about you anymore.

Unknown #: Hey Mari. Make sure you're ready for our date tonight at 6. I wouldn't recommend being late if I were you, otherwise we will expose you for what you are. Oh, and wear that cute green dress that was on your Instagram a couple of weeks ago.

(A.N. You can read again, just didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable :) )

Lila: I told you Marinette. I told you I would make your life hell, but did you listen? No. Now we're playing my game, and you are not going to like my new set of rules. Enjoy having friends while it lasts, Marinette, because I can assure you that it won't be long.

I set my phone back on my desk, and silently wait for the bell to ring so that I can escape and go home for lunch. I want to do nothing but talk to Tikki about the new turn of events. I look up from where my eyes were lingering, and see a beautiful set of peridot eyes looking at me, gazing into my soul it seems like. I let out a small "meep" and focus on the rest of Mme. Mendeleiev's class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger again! I promise that I will try to upload on Mondays and Fridays! Have a great weekend everyone!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has a hard time comprehending the texts she received, a certain Chat Noir stops by to check in on Marinette, etc.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous or any of these characters, unfortunately, so until I do these characters all belong to Thomas Astruc and Zagtoon!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the late update! I've been super busy today and didn't have a chance to upload until now, but anyways I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Nobody POV  
\--------------------

Adrien turned around to look at Marinette, who's calm façade was rapidly wearing away. Her eyes were full of tears again, and she looked like she might pass out. Her usually shiny sapphire eyes were now dull and looked like icy blue topaz, and the corners of her mouth were tugged down into a large frown. 

He wondered what kind of things people were sending her to make her look like that, and he told himself that he would (gently) pry after class, during lunch.

Through the rest of class, Marinette's cold eyes were dutifully trained on the air above Mme. Mendeleiev's head. When the bell rang, she didn't bolt like she had for the previous class. She remained seated, and put all of her belongings in her bag, wanting to do nothing else but wait until the classroom emptied of all of her so-called friends. Alya, Nino and Adrien lingered in the classroom, waiting for her. Marinette looked at her phone again, re-reading the messages, a frown on her face. Adrien decided that he was worried and that he would definitely get to the bottom of what was happening to Marinette. 

After five minutes of waiting in the classroom for Marinette to stop looking at her phone, Alya dragged Marinette out of the room by her good elbow, not hearing Marinette's small gasp as they headed towards the cafeteria. 

Marinette really didn't want to go to the cafeteria, because she knew it was likely she would have to face Ray, Lila, and all of her turned classmates and she would look like the bad guy. However, she wasn't about to admit that to her friends. The lunch line was long, at which she was glad because that gave her time to think. Her mind was crowded with a thick, suffocating fog, and every one of her thoughts lead back to the messages. 

There were three texts that stuck out to her. The ones from Lila and Chloe, obviously, but also the message from the unknown number that told her to wear a dress for a "Mystery Date", as she decided to called it. She didn't want to go, but the message was concerning, for obvious reasons. 'I wouldn't recommend being late if I were you, otherwise we'll expose you for what you are.'. She shuddered at the thought of someone exposing her to be Ladybug. She shrugged off the thought, knowing that no one knew she was Ladybug. Unless they did know, in which case hell would raise in her life. 

Marinette noticed that she was now standing at the front of the lunch line, and she was being asked to order. It looked like Nino and Alya already ordered and were waiting for her and Adrien to get their food. She hastily ordered a turkey and cheese sandwich and a water, but when she reached for a cookie she faltered and decided against grabbing it. It reminded her too much of running into Ray, and she didn't want to be reminded of him. She wandered over to Alya and Nino, who were deep in conversation. She doubted that they even noticed that she had breached their bubble, and wondered if Chloe's message was right. 

She lost herself in thought again, wondering how much of Chloe's message could be true. She jumped slightly when a hand snuck its way onto her shoulder, and when she turned around, Adrien was there, holding out a brownie for her. She accepted the small gift, but not before turning as red as a tomato. Giving a small smile to the golden haired boy, she tucked the brownie in her purse. When she could take breathe again, she stuttered out a thank you to Adrien.

"Adrien you thank- argh- thank Adrien you- I mean- thank you Adrien!" She finally muttered, wondering where her confidence when she hugged him earlier had gone. 

"You're welcome Marinette! You ready to go eat?"

"I think so." she said to him, before turning to include Alya and Nino, saying, "Hey guys, do you mind if we eat at the park today? It's really warm out!"

"Sounds like fun!" Said Alya, who was beaming at her. Nino and Adrien nodded in agreement, and at that the four friends set out to the park.

Marinette didn't want to tell them that the real reason that she didn't want to eat in the cafeteria was once again because of her judgmental classmates, and decided that what they didn't know wouldn't kill them.

Once they arrived at the park, they sprawled out across one of the benches, their food propped onto their laps. Once Alya and Nino struck up another conversation, Adrien spoke to Marinette, hoping to get some answers about what had happened during class.

"Marinette?"

Marinette's brain short circuited for a second before she could respond, which earned her a snicker from Tikki that only she could hear.

"Yeah? Er, what's up? I mean-"

Adrien cut her off, "I heard your phone buzzing in class today, and you seemed fine before reading whatever message you got, and then you seemed out of it afterwards. Is everything ok?"

Marinette didn't even think before blurting out, "Oh, um, yeah! I had a commission that I shipped out a few days ago and it didn't fit her! I just measured wrong and I felt bad! Everything's fine though!"

Adrien frowned, knowing that whatever had her down earlier was not about a wrongly sized commission. Marinette noticed his lips drag down his face, and instantly regretted not telling him the truth. But she couldn't tell him the truth, because then he would know that she didn't take the high road, and then he would be disappointed in her and they would never get married and have their three kids or their hamster. 

"You can tell me what's bothering you, you know. I'm not here to judge you, just to help you."

She smiled at his words, but remained firm on not telling him what was going on in her life.

"That's really it Adrien. I just spent so much time on that dress that I was disappointed that it didn't fit."

He sighed, and figured that he would just have to visit her later as Chat Noir, because at least she appeared more honest when she was talking to his superhero counterpart.

"Adrien," she chastised, "it no big deal. I'll just take out the dress a little bit and then it will be right as rain!" Marinette groaned inwardly at her last few words, because it made her sound like she was a fifty years old.

Marinette stuffed some of her sandwich into her mouth while Adrien continued to interrogate her, mostly so that she didn't have to answer. Adrien realized that he was getting nowhere, so he gave up on the questions and focused more on eating his salad. Caprese, his favorite. Or rather, his dad's favorite for him to eat. He listened into Alya and Nino's conversation, and heard snippets of:

"I can't believe we ever believed Lila"

"She lied about Marinette being into Ray. She had a total breakdown on the way home yesterday, and then today Lila has the AUDACITY to say that Marinette hit on RAY?"

Adrien smiled at the sound of his friends coming around to Marinette's side. He knew that she was hurting because Alya chose Lila over Marinette, and now that Alya was finally stopping idolizing Lila and her throne of lies, this could be a huge change to the group dynamic. Adrien only hoped that Marinette could forgive Alya for all she had said, although it looked like the path to forgiveness was already being paved.

Marinette checked the time, and realized they only had five minutes to get back to the school for their next class. The four packed up their lunches and tossed them into the bins that lined the park, and practically ran back to the school. Marinette noticed that the class was giving her evil looks. She still didn't know why they all believed Lila and her pack of lies that trailed her everywhere. She rolled her eyes as she took her seat next to Mylene, who was still as far over on the bench as could be. When class let out, Marinette made her way home, and as she walked through the doors of the Dupain-Cheng bakery she screenshotted the messages that her classmates sent her, and then deleted the actual messages.

She worked her way up to her bedroom, tripping through the trapdoor and collapsing onto her chaise. Tikki flew out of her hidden spot in Marinette's purse, and gave Marinette a high-pitched pep talk.

"You know Marinette, Alya and Nino seem to be coming around. And Adrien is on your side. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's never left it." Marinette smiled at the thought, and responded, "Yeah. I'm really happy that Alya and Nino seem to be on the mend. I don't know if I'll be able to forgive them so easily though. They betrayed me for Lila, of all people."

"I understand if you don't forgive them, but put yourself in their shoes maybe? If you didn't know Lila was a liar purely because you were Ladybug, wouldn't you have believed Lila?"

Marinette gazed at the floor, not wanting to respond to Tikki's question. She quickly nodded, and then decided it was time to start doing homework. 

After thirty minutes of working on her chemistry homework, she got a message from an unknown number.

Unknown #: Don't forget, Marinette, we still have a date tonight. Be outside your house in the green dress at six, or else.

Marinette flinched away from her phone, her stomach clenching. It was 4:30, and she had never even responded to the first message. This creep, whoever they were, were making her very uncomfortable. She decided that the best thing to do was to tell Chat Noir about her situation as a certain Ladybug.

"Tikki, SPOTS ON!"

Ladybug called Chat Noir, and told him about Marinette's predicament. Chat Noir said that he would be happy to help, and Ladybug quickly transformed back into Marinette. Not thirty minutes later, Chat Noir showed up, clad in his usual black leather. 

Adrien POV  
\----------------

I tried to show up to the Dupain-Cheng bakery as soon as I could, but because I accepted Ladybug's call in between Fencing Practice and my Piano Lessons, I didn't have much of a chance to show up before. Marinette was in her room, apparently struggling with her homework. She had her tongue pasted to her lip, concentrating hard on the lesson in front of her. I chuckled a little bit as I landed on her balcony. I knock on her door and she answers with a slight grin on her face. 

"Hey purrincess, how are you?"

She grimaces slightly, but quickly covers it up with a grin.

"I'm doing pretty well, Chat. How are you doing?" She questions, deflecting the situation

"No need for pleasantries, Ladybug already called me and told me what's going on."

At this, Marinette cringes, her smile faltering for a fraction of a second. "Oh, yeah. That"

"What happened, princess? You can tell me, you know"

At this, she pulls out her phone and opens her camera roll. I can see her scroll through a few screenshots of text messages, none of which I am too concerned about. She hands me her phone, and I read the message.

Unknown #: Hey Mari. Make sure you're ready for our date tonight at 6. I wouldn't recommend being late if I were you, otherwise we will expose you for what you are. Oh, and wear that cute green dress that was on your Instagram a couple of weeks ago.

I gasp slightly, wondering who would possibly threaten Marinette like this. She switches apps, and her messaging app is open, another message on the screen. Again, she hands me her phone and lets me read the text.

Unknown #: Don't forget, Marinette, we still have a date tonight. Be outside your house in the green dress at six, or else.

I can feel my face get red-hot, and silently will myself not to crush the phone in my hand. No one had the right to talk to Marinette like this. 

"Marinette, who sent these?"

"I don't know, that's the problem. I have a bad feeling its from someone I really don't want to see anytime soon. Or ever again, really."

She gestures down to her cast, crinkling her nose at the memory of how her wrist broke. I feel all of the blood drain from my face, and pray that Ray is not the creep with her number. Marinette gets up and walks across the room to her closet, pulling out an peridot green dress. The top was lined with rhinestones, and the bottom was lace that stopped right above the knee. 

"I think that this is the dress this creep is talking about. I made it for homecoming next month, and I really don't want to wear it to anywhere but homecoming. I don't even have the shoes yet!" Marinette pouts. I grin, wondering how a creep somehow got Marinette's number and she's worrying about having the right shoes. 

"I think that I should probably put it on. It's 5:30. That only gives me 30 minutes to get ready." She pauses, and then asks, "Will you follow me? When I go on my so called 'Date'?" She shuddered, and continued. "I just don't want to be the person that ends up on the milk carton."

I can almost see the fear in her eyes as I nod, and she bursts into a girl of a thousand thank you's. She slips away to the bathroom to change, and as the door to the bathroom closes a new door- or rather thought- opens in my head.

Why did Marinette trust Chat Noir but not Adrien? I hadn't gotten a single thing out of her while I was Adrien, but spending thirty minutes at her house as Chat Noir had magically made Marinette talk. Did Marinette not trust Adrien? What had happened to cause that?

I briefly contemplate what had happened to make Marinette not trust me- well, the Adrien side of me anyways. I get as far back as my first day of school, and then stop. Did she not trust me because of the gum incident? I thought I had made up for it, but apparently not. I try to push the thought to the back corner of my mind as the door to the bathroom re-opens. 

Marinette stands in the doorway. The green dress looked amazing on her, but the trepidation in her eyes betrayed the whole look. I had seen that look before, after Marinette came back from a bathroom 'Talk' with Lila. I pry my eyes away from Marinette, and sheepishly say, "Wow, um, that dress looks really good on you Marinette."

She smiles, and tugs the pigtails out of her hair. When the hair cascades around her shoulders, I can see how much older she looks. 

"Thanks. It wasn't really meant to be used in this situation, but I guess here we are."

I nod, and she turns and walks back into the bathroom, only to exit a couple of seconds later with a strange object in her hand.

"What's that?" I ask, and she giggles and responds, "It's a curling iron. It basically gets hot and I wrap my hair around it to get it curly. Or in this case, wavy."

At that, she plugs the "curling iron" into a socket in her wall, and after a couple of minutes I can smell it heat up. (A.N. does anyone else know that smell? Because there is definitely a smell that comes with a heating up curling iron, to me anyways) 

She wraps her hair around the iron, and holds it for 30 seconds. "You have to sing the alphabet, otherwise you could burn your hair or not have the curls stay," she says.

After her hair has all been curled, she runs her fingers through her hair, causing the tight curls to loosen up and turn into waves. I silently wonder why she doesn't just brush the curls out, but I figure that it's probably just a girl thing.

She checks the time, and almost gasps when she realizes its 5:50. She rushes to her bathroom, and I follow. She pulls out a tub of makeup from a cabinet, and starts applying brown coloring to her eyelids. She then rubs a light gold above the brown, and puts something on her eyelashes. Finally, she pulls out a pen and draws little wings on her eye lids. She puts on a light pink lip gloss, and right after she directs me to go to her closet and find a pair of gold heels.

I walk back to the bathroom, heels dangling from my fingers, and Marinette is putting on a gold necklace. Her earrings, gray little dots, don't really match the look, but she must like it so I let it go. 

She grabs the heels from my hand, and straps them onto her feet. She checks the time again, 5:57. She quietly asks me if I would stay on the roof of her house until the mode of transportation leaves, and then follow. I nod, and make my way up to her balcony. She lets out a quiet thank you, and opens the trap door to her room. I can see her walk outside a minute later, and not a minute too soon. I can see a car slow to a stop in front of the bakery, and I almost lose my footing when I see Ray step out of the car and place an arm around Marinette's obviously tense shoulders. She gives one last glance up at me, or where she suspects I am, and gets into the car, Ray following close behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! On Friday you'll get to see Marinette's "date", but in the meantime, what did you think of this chapter? Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Until Friday!  
> -IslandGirl24324


	4. Date Night?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A date between Marinette and *Shudders* Ray, but Alya and Nino to the rescue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry for the super late update, but here's this chapter (Sorry it's so short :) ). I hope you enjoy!

Marinette POV  
\---------------  
When Chat Noir showed up on my balcony, I was more than glad to let him in on what was happening in my life. Well, some of what was happening in my life. I didn't show him the texts from Chloe or the rest of the class, however I did show him the text from the mysterious number. The longer I talked to him, the more my nerves settled. As I got ready, I could feel my nerves finally dialing back up, sending jitters to my stomach.

~~~

I strapped on my shoes as I watched Chat scramble through the skylight in my room, and I began to freak out internally again. I really don't want to do this, but because I don't know what dirt this mystery person has on me, I decide to go.

I almost trip three times on my way down the stairs because of the heels, and when I glance at my phone it is 5:59. As soon as I step outside, a large black car pulls up to the curb right in front of me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, not wanting to see the creep behind the tinted windows.

I subconsciously reach to rub my wrist, stopping when I only reach the bulky cast around it. The door to the car in front of me opens quickly, and I soon wished that I had deleted and blocked the number. A brown haired, green eyed kid stepped out of the car, placing an arm around my shoulder. I stiffened, muttering a, "Hi, Ray."

"Why hello Marinette. So good to see you, all dressed up for me."

I didn't like the way Ray snaked his eyes over me, like I was some sort of object that he could just pick up from the store. I glanced back up at my roof, where Chat Noir was still waiting, and taking a shuttering breath, I climbed into the car. Ray followed me, and his arm was miraculously around my shoulders again. I tried to move to the far side of the car, only to be followed there too. I opened the clutch on my hip, sticking my hand in, and felt my thumb tugged into an embrace by Tikki. 

I stared out the window, hunched against the window, still trying to stay far away from Ray, who was trying to start a conversation. I felt bile rise in my throat at the thought of even looking at him.

"Ray, what is this about? Why are you doing this?"

"Because Mari," he sneers, "I always get what I want, and you are what I want."

I shudder at the implication. I don't belong to anyone, and the way he says it makes it sound like I am just a game to him. I sigh, and ask, "Will you at least tell me what we're going to do tonight? My feet are killing me already, and I just want to go home." 

"First thing, we're going to a movie, and then we're going to get dinner and finally walk back to your house along the Seine."

I nod, and continue to stare out the window. When the car pulls into the lot of the movie theater, I follow Ray out of the car, hoping that I wouldn't have to talk to him too much over the course of the next few hours. As he pays for our tickets, I can spot Chat Noir perched on the roof of an apartment building across the street. As I wonder if he can see me, Ray calls me over. He grabs my arm and practically drags me into the theater. I watch the entrance all throughout the previews, and when I see Alya and Nino enter the building, I freeze. I try to duck farther into my seat so they don't see me, but it doesn't work. Alya gives me a questioning look, and I try to signal to her that we would talk later. She continues walking with Nino, so I hope she gets my point. 

As the movie starts, I try not to focus too much on it. I didn't realize that Ray would be taking me to see a horror movie, and I quietly excuse myself from the theater to duck into the girls bathroom. I see Alya follow me from the corner of my eye, and am relieved to see that we will be able to talk. 

"Girl, what happened? Why are you here with Ray, of all people? What is going on?"

"I don't know! I got this really weird text today during Mme. Mendeleiev's class, and now Ray is acting like I am an object and I really don't want to be here but apparently he has dirt on me but I don't know what it is and I just want to go home-"  
Alya cuts me off, not letting me blabber on any more.

"Mari, just say you're sick or something. You already look really pale, and it's not like he'll want to get sick."

I frown at Alya, who knows that I do not like lying. 

"Girl. He's making you uncomfortable. He has no right to do that. Come on, lets go back to the theater, I'll do all the talking."

As we walk back to the theater, I can feel my stomach churning, like I am sick. I will feel bad for lying, but I suppose that Alya is right, and that lying to get out of a bad situation is ok. I can see Ray approach me and Alya, and Ray listens with a frown on his face as Alya tells him that she thinks I caught a bug going around and that she was going to take me home. I try to smile weakly at Ray, but I'm sure it looks like I'm being smug. 

"So, you're sick, Marinette? Let me take you home then. After all, this is a date and it wouldn't be proper for me to let you leave with anyone else."

Alya butts in, firmly saying, "Oh that's alright Ray, she and I live really close together, so it won't be out of my way or anything like I'm sure it is for you."

She gives the nicest smile she can muster, which looks more like a scowl, and Ray just sticks his hands in his pockets and nods. I rush towards the exit, thankful to get out of the theater, and Alya grabs Nino and they both follow me out of the doors of the theater. 

"Girl, are you ok? Do you want me to spend the night or anything?" I shake my head, knowing that I'll be fine after a talk with Tikki. She nods, and she and Nino accompany me on the way home. I frown at them, realizing that I probably ruined their date.

"I'm so sorry that I messed up your guys' date!"

Nino smiled at me, and said, "You're more important to us than a date that we can always make up another time."  
Alya adds on, "Yeah, and if you ever need to get out of a situation like that again, you call us. Do you understand me girl? I care about you!"

I smile at them, and realize we have reached the door to the bakery. I pull the key out of my handbag, making sure to keep Tikki out of sight from my friends. Alya pulls me into a hug, which Nino joins. I slip out of the embrace and into my house, closing and locking the door behind me. I double check that all of the doors and windows around my house are closed and locked, and I traipse up to my room, excited to get the uncomfortable heels off of my feet and to change into a comfortable pair of pajamas. 

I use a makeup wipe to wash some of the gunk off of my face, and then I use a cleanser to get all of the superficial oils off of my face. Once I feel comfortable, I slip into bed, sitting up and staring at the wall. 

"I can't believe he objectified me! I felt like a thing around him. Does he think he can control me?!"

Tikki flies up to rest on my good hand, which is sitting on my knees that are tucked into my chest. My other hand is laying limply by my side, another reminder of the awful boy who had threatened me into a date with him. I can feel the tears brimming in my eyes, and as the first one spills over, I can practically feel it carve a hot mark down my face. I soon feel the anger bubbling up inside of me, and I take deep calming breaths, like the ones Master Fu taught me to do before he lost his memory. I wouldn't get angry over this. Upset, yes.

No.

I will not get upset or akumatized over a stupid date. He didn't have that power over me. I wouldn't let him have that power over me. I continue breathing while Tikki gives me a pep talk, telling me how I am an amazing person and that I don't deserve to be objectified by some meaningless person who I've had two conversations with. I calm down, and I hear a slight knocking coming from above me. Tikki is already hidden, so I open the skylight to let in the only person who would be on my balcony right now.

Chat Noir tumbled down into my room, and I quickly notice that something is off. His mouth is bleeding, and he has a cut in his eyebrow.

"Hey, purrincess," he says, before completely collapsing onto my bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger, but be prepared for Monday's update!


	5. Don't hurt my purrincess.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Protective Chat/Adrien, caring Mari, beaten up Ray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer- I don't own Miraculous, unfortunately, so for right now only the plot belongs to me!  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry for the late update!
> 
> TW// Blood, Violence

Adrien POV  
\-------------

When Ray stepped out of the car, I almost fell off of the roof of Marinette's house, but that wasn't the worst part. When he snaked a hand around her shoulder, it took everything in me not to jump down to her and to call off the date before it even started. The car soon pulled away from the Dupain-Cheng bakery, and I followed it across town to the movie theater. I watched Marinette get out of the car, and as Ray went to purchase tickets, she looked at me and smiled softly. 

I would give anything to know what she was thinking in that moment, but before I could get across the street to ask her, Ray was back. He ushered her into the theater, but not before turning around and giving me a sneer. I was taken aback. How could he have known I was there? I was very careful to make sure I hadn't been followed, and I stayed out of sight of Ray's car on my venture over to the theater. I shook the thought from my head when I saw Nino and Alya entering the queue to buy tickets, and I wondered if they would see the same movie as Marinette and Ray would. 

I thought about transforming into Adrien for a fraction of a second, and subsequently ducked into an alleyway to turn into my alter-ego. As soon as Plagg fell out of my ring, he started groaning at me.

"Kid, you should have stayed Chat Noir. Your girlfriend is relying on Chat, not Adrien." I shake my head at Plagg, silently telling myself that I could protect Marinette as myself too. I walk across the street, Plagg in my pocket, and I buy a ticket for the next available movie, which happens to be a horror movie. I frown slightly, and start to head towards the theater. The lights are already dimmed in the theater, so I walk to the back, and as I sit down I scan the room for a raven colored head. As I realize I don't see it, I frown, wondering what movie Ray could have taken Marinette to. 

As the movie drags on, I don't even feel myself start to nod off. Its not until a scream rings through the theater that I even wake up enough to register where I am. I can see Plagg frowning up at me from my pocket, so I feed him some cheese that I have stowed away in my other pocket. He seems to halfheartedly take the cheese, and I decide to get out of the theater to go look for Marinette. I race to a nearby bathroom, and transform into Chat Noir. 

I first look in the theater that's playing a rom-com, but when I don't see Marinette there I check through all of the other theaters. As I near the end of my search, coming up emptyhanded, I can feel the ice seeping through my veins. 

'What if something happened to her' is all that I can think. If something did happen to her, it would be all my fault, because I was supposed to be watching her as Chat, not dozing off as Adrien. When I come out from the last theater, missing one Marinette, I freeze. Guilt seeps through my lungs, and I decide to step outside to get a breath of fresh air to clear my head. 

I realize, as I step outside, how dark it is. I can feel the chill sear through me again, and all I want to do is find Marinette. I want to hear her reassuring, her sparkling eyes, and her pretty smile. I start to run a lap around the building, and as I round the corner of the third wall, I see something that makes my blood run cold. Ray is sitting by himself on a bench, Marinette nowhere in sight. I stalk up to him and grab the collar of his shirt, forcing him to his feet. 

"What did you do to her?" I ask, the tone in my voice reminding me so much of my father that it's eerie.

Ray just smirks, and taunts, "So, you were following us. Or, was it just her? A little jealous, are we? Or possessive?"

I growl at the idea that he finds me the slightest bit jealous or possessive, but I continue to glare at him. I tug on his shirt again, pulling the fabric harder against my gloved hands.

"I'm not kidding, Ray. You have about five seconds to tell me what you did or I'll-"

"You'll what? Hurt me? How would that reflect on you? What would Ladybug think? You probably don't want to hurt me."

I frown, and release his collar. Being in his presence is overwhelming, and I decide that I want to get this impromptu "interrogation" over as soon as possible. 

"You know, it's kind of stalkerish of you to be following Marinette and I around. I mean, what if I did that to someone?"

I scoff, not believing what I am hearing. "Oh, you mean like you did to Marinette this very afternoon? Forcing her on a date, threatening to expose her, oh, what was that part about anyways. And breaking her arm? What the hell dude, it seems like YOU'RE the stalker to me."

Ray grunts, and looks across the street. Out of nowhere, a fist connects with my face. I can feel all the blood rush to my head, and push Ray back. I refuse to hit him, but pushing him away from me would definitely count as self defense, right? I keep feeling the blows land on my face, but it's not until I feel the blood gush out of my nose that I finally push back. 

I snarl, and decide to punch him in the nose, and I hope to land in the same place as Marinette had. I see his nose start to bleed again, but I don't stop punching until the boy is almost lifeless on the ground. 

I take a step back, and ask myself what happened. It feels like I completely stepped out of my body. I feel something warm running down my head, and realize that Ray must have gotten a few punches back at me. I shudder. I don't want to think of myself as someone who would hurt another person like that, but apparently I did. I pick Ray up in my arms, and deposit him at the nearest hospital, and turn around to get to Marinette's house, to check and see if she's there. 

Before I can make it to her house, I see a mugging happening in an alley a couple of blocks away. It's three grown men against a smaller target. I try to get a better look at the target, and I can see that it's Nino. I can feel my blood boil, and I step into the alleyway, pushing Nino out of harms way. I take down the smallest of the three men, but the bigger two seem to be bigger threats. 

The largest one hits me over the head with what appears to be a lead pipe. I lean my baton against the floor, aligning it perfectly with his chin, and when I extend it, it connects perfectly with the underside of his face. Both of his arms reach out to touch his now harmed chin, dropping his weapon. I throw it behind me, but not before knocking his legs out from underneath him. I take the opportunity of his dizziness to pick him up and drop him into a dumpster behind me.

While I am dealing with the biggest, I completely forget about the third thief, who sneaks up behind me. I can feel a pinch on my back, and as soon as it comes it's gone. I feel the pinch again and again, so I whip around to see a silver gleam, with red tinting the blade. I can feel bile rising in my throat, but my first order of business for this guy is to disarm him. I drop to my back and kick the knife across the alleyway, wincing slightly when I rise again due to the gravel now lingering in the wounds on my back. I see the third delinquent rushing to grab his knife, so I extend my baton to knock him off balance. I run to grab the knife, and throw it up onto the nearest roof.

I hit the final man over the head with his buddies lead pipe, and discard him in the same bin as his friend. I check the alley to see if I can find Nino, and when I don't, I call the police from my baton. The longer it takes for the authorities to show up, the more I can feel my adrenaline wearing off. I feel woozy by the time the police leave, but I decide that before going home, I should check on Marinette, to make sure she made it home. 

I stumble across the rooves of Paris, and when I finally catch a sight of the Dupain-Cheng bakery WITH the light on inside, I let out a little shout of happiness. 

I rap on the skylight of Marinette's room, and she quickly unlocks it. I try to climb in gracefully, but I really fall in. I can feel the last of my adreneline wearing off, and before I let the black dots clouding my vision carry me away entirely, I murmur out, "Hey, purrincess"

I feel something soft on my back, and I slump down, letting the black dots carry me away.

~~~~~~~~

(A.N. Chat is in his suit for the following scene, just F.Y.I.)

I can feel someone stroking my hair, and all of a sudden, all I can feel is cold. My eyes jut open, and I can see that I am half-submerged in a white tub. 

"Shhhhh, it's alright kitty, you're safe."

I lean to the silky voice coming from behind me, and that's when I see Marinette, her hands still lingering in my hair. 

"Purrincess? What happened?"

"Ummm, well, I went to the movie with Ray, but Alya and Nino were there and they kind of helped me get home by telling me to play sick, and then I told myself that I wasn't an object for Ray to play with, and then you came to my house and you were bloody and you passed out. What happened with you?"

I cringe at the question, mainly because I don't want to explain how I got into a fight with Ray to her. 

"I stopped a mugging," I say simply, "and then I had to come and make sure m'l- errr, I mean, Mari- I mean, my princess was alright!"

I can see her nodding to my words, and all I can do is hope that she didn't catch my slip-ups.

"Oh, well, that's pretty cool. Why didn't you call Ladybug though? I'm sure she would have been happy to help you!"

"I didn't want to bother M'Lady. I'm sure she's busy, and besides, I handled it, didn't I?"

"Chat?! Handled it?! You could have died! Don't do that to me again. I- err, I mean, Ladybug can't lose you. You're too important to her."

I hear a soft splash come from behind me, and suddenly a cascade of water slides down my face.

"Sorry, just washing the BLOOD out of your HAIR. But sure, you definitely handled it."

I smile. That sounds like something Ladybug would have said. Who knew Marinette could be so brave?

"It's not as bad as it looks, I purromise."

"No, it can't be, because you're still making those AWFUL cat puns."

"Aww, they can't be that clawful," I tease, and I can feel Marinette glaring into the back of my head. 

"Good news, it looks like you don't need stitches, and you appear to be healing really quickly. I almost can't see the cuts on your head anymore. Speaking of head-cuts, do you mind if I wash the blood out of your hair? It's getting kind of stiff and it doesn't smell all that 'clawsome', as you would say."

I chuckle, and then motion towards the shampoo that is sitting on one of the corners of her bathtub. She grabs a cup of water, and pours it over my head again. This time, the water is slightly warmer, and it feels good against the freezing water that used to be on my head. She takes a quarter sized dollop of shampoo, and lathers it in her good hand. She gently rubs the raspberry and vanilla concoction against my scalp, and before I know it, I let out a soft purr. She lets out a small snort, but continues the task at hand. She lathers it onto my head for what seems like too short of a time, and then rinses the shampoo out of my hair with her cup. 

She does the same with conditioner, and before I know it she is handing me a towel and heading out of her bedroom.

After drying off, I head out of the bathroom myself. I smile softly at Marinette, and she smiles back.

"Mari, thank you so much. For all you did tonight. And all you do, in general."

She smiles, and I can see some color tinting her cheeks.

"It was no problem. besides, what was I supposed to do? Leave you bleeding out on my bed?"

I grimace, and she giggles. The sweet sound is hypnotic, and soon I wish I could listen to it all day.

"I should probably get going. It's pretty late and I don't want my father to worry about me. Until next time, Marinette."

She gives me a two finger salute, but pulls me into a hug before I can climb out of the skylight.

"Drop in any time, ok Kitty?"

"Anytime," I repeat, and I tug away from the embrace, and climb out of her room with much more grace than I came in with, and I am suddenly catapulting across the city. I finally leap into my bedroom, and I release my transformation, and suddenly all of the injuries take over my attention with a vengeance. I pass Plagg a piece of camembert, before grabbing an apple and a sandwich out of a hidden drawer in my closet. I devour the sandwich, and throw on my pajamas. I leap into bed, and even with my screaming injuries, I fall asleep with one person on my mind.

I can almost hear Plagg saying, "Not your girlfriend, huh?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop, did you see that coming? If you would let me know what you think, it would be much appreciated!  
> Until Friday,  
> IslandGirl24324!

**Author's Note:**

> Ooooh, a cliffhanger! I hope you guys like it, and it would be greatly appreciated if you would leave a comment (maybe rec. what I could do in the next chapter?) Anyways, thank you all so much for reading! Stay tuned for more updates (Still working on my posting schedule!)


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